'We were left with nothing when our house burnt down': Are you covered if your home goes up in smoke at Christmas?

Are you covered if your home goes up in smoke at Xmas? Suffering a house fire or being burgled is terrible at any time of year, but at Christmas it can be particularly dreadful.

And the likelihood of someone breaking in, and your home being devastated by flames or burst pipes, increases dramatically during November and December.

Unfortunately, with all those presents under the tree, it is also the time when the value of the contents in your home is at its highest.

Pauline and Rodney Hinton: 'We didn't have anything. People were offering us clothes, toothbrushes. It is only looking back that you realise how bad it was'

And if you’re giving your loved ones jewellery or new technology, some of the individual items can be very expensive indeed.

So it is critical to have sufficient home insurance in case the worst happens. Two years ago, Pauline and Rodney Hinton were ready to celebrate a family Christmas in their thatched cottage in Norfolk when a fire gutted their home.

Their son and his wife were staying with them at the time, and a pile of wrapped presents was waiting to be opened.

The house was suddenly plunged into darkness and the upstairs rooms were engulfed in flames. Everyone got out safely, including the two pet dogs, but within 45 minutes the property was devastated.

The blaze, caused by an electrical fault, smouldered on for four days. Pauline, who had celebrated her 60th birthday the previous week, says: ‘At first you don’t believe what’s happening. In fact, for weeks it didn’t seem real.

Pear Tree Cottage burnt down in December 2010 and has now been rebuilt thanks to good insurance

‘We didn’t have anything. People were offering us clothes, toothbrushes. It is only looking back that you realise how bad it was.’

This Christmas is their first one at home since the fire two years ago. Luckily, their destroyed belongings were fully covered by insurance — Rodney, a retired bank manager, had taken out building and contents insurance worth £500,000 and £125,000 respectively with LV=.

But thousands of people each year have Christmas ruined by fires, burst pipes or burglars. And according to insurer Esure, the contents’ value in an average UK home rises by 15 per cent at this time.

So if you have presents worth hundreds of pounds, make sure you have adequate home contents insurance, and read the small print for any exemptions. Many big providers automatically raise their contents protection for customers during the Christmas period.

However, smaller companies often don’t. It’s therefore crucial to check what you are covered for and for how long.

For the companies that do, the average increase is 20 per cent, according to the Association of British Insurers.

LOWER YOUR RISK OF BEING BURGLED AT CHRISTMAS

Keep presents and valuables away from windows in your home

Hide Christmas shopping in the boot of your car — don’t put it on the back seat

Don't leave the discarded packaging of expensive and desirable goods outside your home

For example, LV= increases its contents cover by 10 per cent for a month either side of Christmas, while Halifax and Lloyds TSB automatically add £3,000 to contents cover for December.

Nationwide raises its cover by 10 per cent for 30 days either side of Christmas Day, and Esure’s increases by 15 per cent for four weeks either side.

To make sure you are covered, make a list of all the valuables in your home and how much they’d cost to replace.

Tell your insurer about any specific one-off items that are worth a lot, particularly those over £1,500.

Your premiums will probably rise to cover them. Although you don’t want to be under-insured, you’ll lose money if you over-insure, because your premiums will rise unnecessarily.

You don’t need £60,000 of cover, say, if your total contents are worth £20,000. If you have lots of valuables, it could be worth having ‘unlimited’ contents cover — which typically covers £50,000-worth.

Also bear in mind that policies sold with many items can be a waste of money if you already have sufficient cover.

And remember that any extra contents cover over Christmas applies for a limited time.

So, if you’ve received any generous gifts, such as expensive pieces of jewellery, reassess your insurance to make sure they are covered for the whole of the year.